This was a lovely find for the end of June. A sound that I have particularly missed hearing every summer for nearly 6 years. Recognize it?
Beaver Moanings
What kind of voice does the beaver have? Would you ever guess that the young (and maybe adults too?) make expressive moans from within the den, especially in the autumn of the year?
Aside from water trickling over the dam and occasional chewing sounds, things were surprisingly quiet until around 3am, at which time I was treated to quite a display of talkings. First I heard a beaver expel air (sounds like a growl), then some chewing, and then a delightful variety of animated moanings and mumblings … all coming from inside the den. I presume the moans are sounds of youngsters, voicing their contentment as they happily chew the bark off small limbs (it’s possible, though, that the low-pitched moans are from an adult … I’m just not sure).
What a great catch, and still my all-time favorite beaver recording! Listen with an open heart and you will fall totally in love with these little guys (as if you weren’t in love with them already).
Of course we in Martinez have seen the wonders unfold in person. And I wouldn’t call them moanings that sounds too grown up and depressing. That is definitely the sound of kits vocalizing. And they aren’t whining either.
Many a time I’ve seen a beaver chewing something lovely approached by his sibling and I EXPECTED to hear whining from the kit who wanted some. I never never did. It was always the kid who had the branch that made the sound.
I came to think it meant “this is delicious I wish I could eat it forever I hope you don’t want any” Then when his brother inevitably took some (no growling, no complaining) and started whining too just a happy chorus. “It sounds even BETTER now!”
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y day. Whenever he’d show up a beaver would surface along side him and swim beside him as long as he paddled slowly around. He said it happened nearly every day in the month he stayed there, and showed it was an adult beaver in describing its four foot length. Isn’t that a wonderful and rare story?
